Today on NBA League Pass: Houston Rockets vs Phoenix Suns

Two of the NBA's most explosive scorers are set to collide in Phoenix. Devin Booker outplayed James Harden when they last met over a year ago and since then has taken on a role with the Suns reminiscent of Harden with the Rockets.

By NBA.com India Staff

James Harden and Devin Booker(Getty Images)https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/NBA_Global_CMS_image_storage/0/fe/james-harden-and-devin-booker_1mttdzv4wry6610t29kimk08jd.png?t=-1191021688&w=500

With six games on the slate for Tuesday, there's perhaps no opportunity to see a high-scoring affair moreso than when the Houston Rockets visiting the Phoenix Suns.

At the center of the spotlight? The duel between James Harden and Devin Booker.

The Suns have be in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, but that shouldn't stop the enthusiasm over the opportunity to see Booker, one of the game's bright young scorers, trade buckets with the Beard.

In his last game, Devin Booker scored 32 points to raise his season scoring average up to 25 points per game.

While it's not unchartered territory for Booker given that the Suns' young shooting guard finished last season at 24.9, it's somewhat poetic that he could officially hit that statistical threshold in his fourth season which just so happens to be the first time that James Harden also averaged 25 for an entire season.

Beyond simply the scoring, what stands out with Booker's continued development is his playmaking. On a team starved for any semblance of consistent point guard play, Booker has handled the ball far more than in the past and while he's combatted some turnover woes which shouldn't be a surprise given his age, the numbers are strikingly similar to what Harden delivered in his first season in Houston.

4th NBA Season

James Harden

Devin Booker

Season

2012-13

2018-19

Age

23

22

Pts/36

24.4

25.8

Ast/36

5.5

7.0

Ast/TO ratio

1.54

1.70

As for Harden, the draw is simple: he's in the midst of the greatest scoring season by any player since Michael Jordan in 1986-87.

Fresh off a January in which he became the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 40 points per game for an entire month, Harden remains in the driver's seat in the MVP conversation.

He's dropped over 40 in two of his last four games against the Suns and is coming off one of the most complete performances of his career in a win over the Jazz in which he finished with 43 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, six steals and four blocks on an efficient 12-22 shootin (not to mention a perfect 15-15 from the free throw line)!

All of this to say... Booker vs Harden is a must-watch League Pass matchup.